Shuneh (Jordan), June 22: Efforts to secure peace in the troubled Middle East and the future of war-battered Iraq dominated the second day today of an extraordinary meeting here of the World Economic Forum (WEF).
The international diplomatic quartet which drafted a "roadmap" to peace between Israel and the Palestinians met to discuss implementation of the plan, and urged both sides to stop provocative action.

The meeting were attended by US Secretary of State Colin Powell, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and Europe's foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

They urged the Palestinian Authority to rein in militants responsible for "acts of terror against all Israelis", in a joint statement which also called on Israel to stop "military actions that result in the killing of innocent Palestinian and other civilians".

"Such actions do not enhance security and undermine trust and prospects for cooperation," said the statement read by Annan.

In the corridors of the five star hotels on the shores of the Dead Sea, diplomatic activity buzzed as Israeli Foreign Minister Sylvan Shalom met separately with his Jordanian and Egyptian counterparts.

Following talks with Marwan Moasher of Jordan, Shalom said Israel was ready to hand over control of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank town of Bethlehem if the Palestinians assumed responsibility to "stop terrorism and violence".

Bureau Report